BioConcepts

femaleθήλεα (gr.); femina (lat.); female (fr.); Weibchen (ger.)

• An individual of this sex ([that can bear offspring] contrasted with male); a female animal (including the human being considered as an animal species). Also: female individuals or the female sex considered generally or collectively. (OED 2012)
  category sex see also male

  c. -350 (BC)

  Καὶ ὑγροσαρκότερα δὲ τὰ θήλεα τῶν ἀρρένων καὶ γονυκροτώτερα, καὶ αἱ κνῆμαι λεπτότεραι· τοὺς δὲ πόδας γλαφυρωτέρους, ὅσα τὰ μόρια ταῦτ' ἔχει τῶν ζῴων. Καὶ περὶ φωνῆς δέ, πάντα τὰ θήλεα λεπτοφωνότερα καὶ ὀξυφωνότερα, πλὴν βοός, ὅσα ἔχει φωνήν· οἱ δὲ βόες βαρύτερον φθέγγονται αἱ θήλειαι τῶν ἀρρένων. Τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἀλκὴν ἐν τῇ φύσει ὑπάρχοντα μόρια, οἷον ὀδόντες καὶ χαυλιόδοντες καὶ κέρατα καὶ πλῆκτρα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα μόρια, ἐν ἐνίοις μὲν γένεσιν ὅλως τὰ μὲν ἄρρενα ἔχει τὰ δὲ θήλεα οὐκ ἔχει, οἷον κέρατα ἔλαφος θήλεια οὐκ ἔχει καὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων τῶν πλῆκτρα ἐχόντων ἐνίων αἱ θήλειαι ὅλως πλῆκτρα οὐκ ἔχουσιν· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ χαυλιόδοντας αἱ θήλειαι οὐκ ἔχουσι τῶν ὑῶν. Ἐν ἐνίοις δ' ὑπάρχει μὲν ἀμφοῖν, ἀλλὰ κρείττω καὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἄρρεσιν, οἷον τὰ κέρατα τῶν ταύρων ἰσχυρότερα τῶν θηλειῶν βοῶν. […]
  Ἀθυμότερα δὲ τὰ θήλεα πάντα τῶν ἀρρένων πλὴν ἄρκτου καὶ παρδάλεως· τούτων δ' ἡ θήλεια δοκεῖ εἶναι ἀνδρειοτέρα. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις γένεσι τὰ θήλεα μαλακώτερα καὶ κακουργότερα καὶ ἧττον ἁπλᾶ καὶ προπετέστερα καὶ περὶ τῶν τέκνων τροφὴν φροντιστικώτερα, τὰ δ' ἄρρενα ἐναντίως θυμωδέστερα καὶ ἀγριώτερα καὶ ἁπλούστερα καὶ ἧττον ἐπίβουλα. Τούτων δ' ἴχνη μὲν τῶν ἠθῶν ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσιν ὡς εἰπεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ φανερώτερα ἐν τοῖς ἔχουσι μᾶλλον ἦθος
  The female [in animals] also has looser flesh than the male and is more knockkneed, and the calves are thinner; the feet (if present) are more delicately fashioned. With regard to voice (where present) all females have a slighter and higher pitched voice, except for the cow, whose lowing is deeper than that of the bull. With regard to parts naturally provided for combat, such as teeth, tusks, horns, spurs, etc., in some kinds of animals the male has them and the female has none at all: thus the hind has no horns, and in some cases where the cock-bird has spurs the hen will have none at all; similarly the sow has no tusks. In other animals both sexes have them, but they are better and bigger in the male: e.g. a bull’s horns are stronger than a cow’s. […]
  All females are less spirited than the males, except the bear and leopard: in these the female is held to be braver. But in the other kinds the females are softer, more vicious, less simple, more impetuous, more attentive to the feeding of the young, while the males on the contrary are more spirited, wilder, simpler, less cunning. There are traces of these characters in virtually all animals

  Aristotle (c. 350 BC). Historia animalium 538b9-24; 608a33-b4 [Engl. transl. A.L. Peck, 1970].
  

  c. -350 (BC)

  [the male contributes the principle of movement and the female contributes the material […]. In all animals which can move about, male and female are separate; one animal is male and another female, though they are identical in species, just as men and women are both human beings, and stallion and mare are both horses.]

  Aristotle (c. 350 BC). De generatione animalium 730a26-27; 730b33-731a [Engl. transl. A.L. Peck, 1943].
  

  79

  neque est in iis [salamandrae] masculum femininum ve, sicut neque in anguillis omnibus que quae nec animal nec ovum ex sese generant. neutrum est et ostreis genus et ceteris adhaerentibus vado vel saxo. quae autem per se generantur, si in mares et feminas discripta sunt, generant quidem aliquid coitu
  [in these [the salamander] there is no male or female, as also there is no sex in eels and all the species that are neither viviparous nor oviparous; also oysters and the other creatures clinging to the bottom of shallow water or to rocks are neuters. But self-generated creatures if divided into males and females do produce an offspring by coupling]

  Pliny (AD 79). Naturalis historia 10, 189 [Engl. transl. H. Rackham, 1940].
  

  79

  duo eius genera, masculus et femina, quae efficacior
  [There are two kinds of it [scil. the plant mercurialis], the male and the female, the latter having the more powerful properties.]

  Pliny (AD 79). Naturalis historia 25, 38 [Engl. transl. W.H.S. Jones, 1956].
  

  79

  Piscium feminae maiores quam mares.
  [Female fish are larger than the males.]

  Pliny (AD 79). Naturalis historia 9, 56 [Engl. transl. H. Rackham, 1940].
  

  1258-62

  Oportet autem scire, quod femina in hoc modo animalis maioris est quantitatis quam masculus: in aliis autem modis animalium feminae sunt minoris quantitatis ut frequenter quam masculus.

  Albertus Magnus (1258-62). De animalibus libri XXVI (vol. 1, ed. H. Stadler, Münster 1916): 413 (lib. V, tract. 1, cap. 2, 14).
  

  1259-64

  Cum enim avis non nutriat lacte pullos, quod in promptu est, velut a natura praeparatum, sicut in quadrupedibus accidit, sed oportet quod cibum aliunde pullis quaerat, et praeter hoc, incubando eos foveat: non sufficeret ad hoc sola femella.

  Thomas Aquinas (1259-64). Summa contra gentiles 3, 122.
  

  c. 1265

  Secundo describit figuram coitus: nam, sicut philosophus dicit in v animalium, patitur coitum femella elephantis considens, et masculus ascendit, et hoc significat subdens et virtus illius in umbilico ventris eius, qui scilicet umbilicum superponit in coitu dorso femellae; et oportet quod sit in umbilico magna virtus ne frangatur propter collisionem corporum tam magnorum.

  Thomas Aquinas (c. 1265). In Iob (Expositio super Iob ad litteram) 40.
  

  c. 1300

  Potestas et magnitudo caeli faciunt aues masculinas, qui non uiuunt de rapina, maiores et fortiores quam femellas, sicut gallus, qui maior est et fortior quam gallina; et idem est de perdice et aliis. […] Sed potestas caeli facit cum magnitudine, quod aues femellae, quae de rapina uiuunt, maiores sunt et potentiores quam masculi, sicut aquila et falco femella et aliae, quae sunt maiores et potentiores

  Raimundus Lullus (c. 1300). Tractatus nouus de astronomia 1, 2, 3.
  

  c. 1393

  The Madle is mad for the femele; Bot where as on desireth fele, That nedeth noght be weie of kinde.

  Gower, J. (c. 1393). Confessio Amantis (Fairf.): 4215 (vii) (acc. to OED). 

  c. 1600

  Et ex omni animanti, ex omni carne bina ex omnibus duces in arcam, ut vivant te cum, masculus et femella erunt. […] Immundorum vero animalium bina tantum salvantur, masculus et femella, ad speciem propagandam.

  Laurentius a Brundusio (c. 1600). Explanatio in Genesim (Opera omnia, vol. III, 1959): 499 (c. 6); 503 (c. 7).
  

  1688

  So weiß der Gärtner schon den Baum zu unterscheiden; Er kennt den zarten Stamm an seiner edlen Art/ Was Mann und Weibgen ist und wie sich beydes paart.

  Schoch, J.G. (transl.) (1688). Mocquet, J.: Wunderbare jedoch gründlich- und warhaffte Geschichte und Reise in Africa, Asia, Ost- und West-Indien: 287.
  

  1688

  De mannetjes en wyfjes [of scorpions] onderscheidense, dat de mannetjes wat grooter en rouwer zyn

  Blankaart, S. (1688). Schou-Burg der Rupsen, Wormen, Maden en Vliegende Dierkens daar uit voortkomende: 147.
  

  1690

  Die Männchen und Weibgen [der Skorpione] unterscheiden sich/ daß die Männchen was grösser und raucher sind

  Rodochs, J.C. (transl.) (1690). Blankaart, S.: Schau-Platz der Raupen, Würmer, Maden und fliegenden Thiergen: 114. 

  1716

  Wenn nun das Weibchen das letzte Ey geleget/ und den Hahn nicht mehr nöthig hat/ sperret man ihn [...] in ein Bauer/ und leget dem Weibchen die Eyer wieder unter

  Hervieux de Chanteloup, J.-C. (1716). Neuer Traktat von denen Canarienvögel: 68.
  

  1731

  Alle Thiere, deren Junge nicht ohne Beyhülffe beyderley Geschlechts können ausgebrütet und gefüttert werden, biß sie selbst sich zu erhalten im Stande sind; halten sich nur allemahl Paar-weise zusammen, wie wir an denjenigen Vögeln wahrnehmen, da Männchen und Weibchen Wechsels-weise brüten und futtern [...]. Bey andern Thieren aber, wo das Männchen zur Erhaltung der Jungen gar nichts beytragen darff, findet man, daß dasselbe sich zu mehr als einem Weibchen halte; wie bey den vierfüßigen Thieren geschieht. Wo aber weder Männchen noch Weibchen zur Nahrung der Jungen etwas beytragen dürffen, wie bey den Raupen, da gehet alles durcheinander.

  Reinbeck, J.G. (1731). Betrachtungen über die in der Augspurgischen Confession enthaltene Göttliche Wahrheiten: 247.
  

  1735

  Planta quæ Floribus Masculinis gaudet, Mas, quæ Femininis, Femina […] dicitur

  Linné, C. von (1735). Systema naturæ sive regna tria naturæ systematice proposita per classes, ordines, genera, & species: [Observatione in Regnum Vegetabile].
  

  1736

  Planta quæ floribus Masculinis Mas, quæ Fœmininis, Fœmina […] dicitur

  Linnaeus, C. (1736). Fundamenta bontanica: 17 (No. 149). 

  1737

  Ficus [...] flosculis, quorum exteriores seu margini calycis propiores Masculi sunt pauciores: reliqui inferiores Feminei numerosi. Masculinus flos singulus pedunculo infidens

  Linnaeus, C. (1737). Genera plantarum: 776.
  

  1740

  Planta quæ Floribus Masculinis gaudet, Mas, quæ Femininis, Femina […] dicitur
  [Die Pflanze, welche nur männliche Blumen hat, wird Mann genennet, welche nur weibliche Blumen hat, heisset Weib]

  Linnaeus, C. (1740). Systema naturæ [Germ. transl. J.J. Lange]: 24.
  

  1745

  Hannen war helt swart [...] Honan hade nästan samma särg

  Linnaeus, C. (1745). Öländska och Gothländska Resa: 271.

  1756

  Mohrenten (Anas fusca) sahen wir von beyderley Geschlecht; das Männchen war ganz schwarz, und die Deckfedern auf den Flügeln machten einen weißen Fleck. Das Weibchen war nicht so sehr schwarz

  Linnaeus, C. (1756). Herrn Carl Linnäi, Reisen durch das Konigreich Schweden: 290. 

  1982

  female The egg producing form of a bisexual or dioecious organism.

  Lincoln, R.J., Boxshall, G.A. & Clark, P.F. (1982). A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics: 94.